Aircraft



Oct. 11, 1932.

E. KLAHN AIRCRAFT Filed July 28, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Oct. ll, 1932. E. KLAHN v 1,881,674

AIRCRAFT Filed July 28. 1951 -5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY rus Mmmm/M Oct. l1, 1932. E. KLAHN 1,881,674

AIRCRAFT Y Filed July 28, 1951 5 sheets-sheet 5 INVENTOR EM/L KLM/v BY H l5 ATTORNEJWMW E. KLAH AIRCRAFT Oct. -11 1932.

5 sheets-sheet 4 Filed July 28. 1931 BY H15 ATTORNE E. KLAHN AIRCRAFTA Oct. ll, 1932.

Filed July 28. 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 .Jn- Minimi R o T MN vH Nnhr IL. K L M E EN R o T. T A m H Vl B Patented @et l1, 1932 PATENT FFICE EMIL K'AHN, OFNEW VERNON, NEW JERSEY AIRCRAFT Application mea July 28,

The invention relates to aircraft of the heavier-than-air type, and more particularly to means for effecting the lifting of said craft Y 5 .It hasfor an Vobject the 'provision of a wlngless aircraft, and of a novel means providing a. vertical lifting thrust whereby the craft may be elevatedV and sustained.

`A further object of the invention resides .0 in means for vvarying the magnitude of this thrust to control at will the rate of rise or fall, as Well as to attain stationary 4or hoveringflightwith the craft.

p Another object of the invention is to prom vide means whereby the craft may be tilted in vertical plane so that, in conjunction with horizontal translating means, it may be caused to ascend or descend in a direction at anv angle to the vertical.

' In carrying out theinvention, a suitable motor is arranged to drive a pair, or preferably two pairs, of simultaneously operating rotary tangential fans, each pair having the blades or vanes of the fans interlock- 25 ing or overlapping and arranged to rotate in opposite directions, said blades being suitably spaced to avoid interference among the same. The fans are suitably encased within casings which are preferably entirely open at the bottom `and over a portion of the sides and ends, air being directed by the blades vertically downwardly and the resulting thrust upon the upper wall of a casing utilized in the lifting of the aircraft.

Provision is made, furthermore, for operating shutter or like means over an opening in the said upper wall of a casing whereby the` intensity of this thrust may be varied for controlling the rise and fall of the aircraft and for effecting a hovering action thereof.

v Provision is also made for effecting translation or horizontal movement of the craft.

The nature of the'invention, however, will best be understood when described in connection withk the accompanying drawings, in which: l

Fig. 'l illustrates the novel aircraft in side elevation, and F ig. 2 in plan.

5o Fig. 3 is a vertical section, taken on the 1931. Serial No. 553,533.

showing one of the fan casings, with portion 005' of connected cabin broken away, and illustrates the shutter-moving levers and shut-ters associated therewith.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view l illustrating the arrangement of the shutter ll' control mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, l0 designates y'a suitable framing for carrying the various apparatus of the novel aircraft, and` at its lower port-ion supports an internal combusi;

I I n f I tion motor ll. This motor drives in the usual manner a propeller l2 which is designed in the present embodiment principally for translating the aircraft in a horizontal plane; and a clutch 13 14, said clutch having an operating connection l5 extending upwardly to the forward cabin 2O from which the craft as a whole is controlled. The rear of the aircraft is provided with a similarcabin 2l to render the 3u same symmetrical in appearance and to afford further storage space as for fuel tanks, ctc. A rudder 22 is provided in connection with the craft and is operated in well-known Y manner from the cabin 2O through cables 23 85 extending therein. d

Aside from the two cabins 2() and 2l and support for motor ll, the craft is entirely open at the bottom portion; and there is arp ranged transversely between the two said cabuo ins the novel lift apparatus for affording a vertical upward thrust to lift the entire craft independently of its propulsion in a hori4 zontal plane. It is to be understood, however, that I am not limited to the provision 95' of independent means for propelling and lifting the aircraft. Under certain conditions, also, the propeller l2 may be caused to assist in effecting a ychange in Vertical position.

is provided in the motor shaft The aforesaidY novel lifting apparatusis in the nature of a pair, .or preferably two pairs, of tangential fans which are disposed transverse-ly of the longitudinal axis vof the aircraft andbetween the said cabins 2O and 21. A pair of fans comprising the sets of blades Yor vanes and 26 anda pair of 'fansrcoinprising the blades or vanes 25 and ao v are' Vmounted upon and for rotation with res-peice tive hollow shafts 27 and 28 in casings comprising the top Vwalls 29 and SO'arid sides 31 andr32. These sides are largely cutaway, Ythe amountbeing determined by trial to provide theinosteliicient action of the fans, and the bottom of the casing is preferably entirely open save for the supporting and separating rods 33. The ends of the casing also are en tirelyy open except forl the upper overhanging arcuate portion of the tops,which overhang ing portion may be extended as hereinafter more fully set forth toscontrol the effectiveness of the vertical lifting thrust. lt will be noted that the driveshafts 27 and 28 of the respective fans of a pair are located .in the same horizontal plane and at'- such distance apart that the blades of the two fans interloe-k, said blades overlapping'at certainperiods ofthe rotation to apredeterinined degree. Thefnuinber of blades, spacing land rotationare such, however, that there is no interference mechanically among the blades when rotated.

i i To this end, rotation is simultaneouslyimparted to the:` blades from the motor ll through suitable intermediate mechanism which isso'arrang'ed as to-cause these blades to rotate synchronouslyy in opposite direc'-y tions, and, furthermore, such that air is pro jected downwardly thereby throught-he bot? tom portion of the casing. For example, a

pair of vertically extending shafts 37 Vis ranged to be 'driven from the motor 1l, said shafts having at their upper. ends respective gears38 vand 38 engaging with gears'f) and 39' on the respective hollow shaftsf27 and 28.

Where a second pair of fans, embodying the lblades 25, 26", is utilized, the shafts27 and 28 are extendedto carry thesarne, the two pairs of fans then being arranged between the fore and aft cabins, as indicated in Fig. 2.

By thus causing the pair of blades of aset y to rotate synchronously in opposite ldirections i in .an overlapping*relationship,not only is space conserved` but a maximum vreactive force upon thecraft to lift the same is provided as there is always an ample supply of air in the casing channel and since this air has the same velocity as the blades `the latter `doi-not encountergresistance in their upward movement. l

` 1 It will be understood that the effect of the Y upward lifting thrust developed may be variedsboth by altering the extent of lateral overhang of the tops29v and 30 of the casing as well as in uncovering respective openings.

or ports 40 and 41 therein. This may simultaneously be effected in the provision of suit-n able shutters 42, 42 and 43, 43 for use with the respective pairs of fans and movable rela- -tively tothe saidtops thereof over lthe openings therein to uncover the latter and to eX- tend the-former. AFor examplashutter 42 lsaid levers having at their opposite ends operating handles 47 and 48, respectively. In thelatter instance, the handle 48 is, for convenient accessibility, brought forwardly to the plane of handle 47 through a rod 49 passing through the hollow drive shaft 27, saidrod having the lever arm 46 rigidlyv secured thereto.

Furthermore', the operating handle-47. isv connected to an arm 50, oscillatable about shaft 27, by means of a link 51 .so that movement of handle 47, for example, to the brokenline position indicated in Fign, will operate to move theshutter 42 in a. direction oppositely 'to that to which the shutter 442iwill be moved through corresponding motion ofv arm 45, and as indicated-by the broken-lineposiv L. :11011. s Y, v y

For moving the rear set of shutters 43, 43, handle 48 is operated andl communicates its lmay be attached to one arm of a lever and Athe shutter 43 to one arm 46 ofa lever,

angular motion through rod 49Y to arm 46 for the shutter 43 and through a link 51 connected toa lower extension -52 ofV thearm 46 and an arm 53 oscillatable on the drive shaft" 28' and connected with the shutter43,` The angular movement of all ofthe said shutters. is about the-said respective shafts 27 and 28l as axes, and it is necessary to actuate merely one or both of theV handles 47, 48 to provide for the desired change in the lifting effect. lf but one handle is operated, for example, handle 48 which controls Ythe shutters for the rear pair offans, the craft will be caused to sink at the rear and thus cause the longitudif nal axis to be inclined in avertical planewith the fore part ofthe `craft elevated'so that advantage may be taken .of the effect of propeller 12 in accelerating the ascent which, however, will then notbe directly vertical.'

Vlimilarly, by depressing theV fore part of the craft, theV descent ofthe latter maybe accelerated. f Y Y l claim:

n l. lnanaircraft: a supportingstructure, arnctor carried thereby, means connected to the motor'for eidecting movement in a' ver= ticall plane of the craft, said means embodying a pair of shafts synchronously rotatable about'horizontal axes, respective fansdriven thereby having` blades in overlappingrela-v tionship, a casing about the fans open at the bottom and partly open at the ends, the topv of the casing Ybeing lprovided with normally closed ports positioned over the kvrespective fans,a pair of shutters movable over the respective port-afan arm connected to'one of theshutters and oscillatable aboutV the drive vfurther pair of fans With shaft of one of the pair of fans, a lever having one arm connected to the other of the shutters and oscillatable about the drive shaft of the other of the pair of fans, and a link connecting the first-named arm andthe opposite arm of the said lever, said opposite arm having a hand-engaging portion for operation.

2. In an aircraft: a supporting structure, a motor carried thereby, means connected to the motor for effecting movement in a vertical plane of the craft, said means embodying a pair of shafts synchronously rotatable about horizontal axes, respective fans driven thereby having blades in overlapping relationship, a casing about the fans open at the bottom and partly open at theends, the top of the casing being provided with normally closed ports positioned over the respective fans, a pair of shutters movable over the respective ports, means to simultaneously operate said shutters to uncover the ports, a

blades in overlapping relationship and driven by the said driving shafts, a casing about said further pair of fans open at the bottom and partly open at the ends, the top of the last-named casing being provided with normally closed ports over the respective fans, a second pair of shutters for controlling the ports of the last-named casing, and means to move said second pair of shutters independently of the first-named pair.

3. In an aircraft: a supporting structure, a motor carried thereby, means connected to the motor for effecting movement in a vertical plane of the craft, said means embodying a pair of shafts synchronously rotatable about horizontal axes, respective fans driven thereby having blades in overlapping relationship, a casing about the fans open at the bottom and partly open at the ends, the top of the casing being provided with normally closed ports positioned over the respective fans, a pair of shutters movable over the respective ports, an arm connected to one of the shutters and oscillatable about the drive shaft of one of the pair of fans, a lever having one arm connected to the other of the shutters and oscillatable about the drive shaft of the other of the pair of fans, a link connecting the first-named arm and the opposite arm of the said lever, said opposite arm'l having a handengaging portion for operation, a further pair of fans With blades in overlapping relationship and driven by the said driving shafts, a casing about said further pair of fans, open at the bottom and partly open at the ends, the top of the casing being provided With normally closed ports over the respective fans, a second pair of shutters for controlling the ports of the last-named casing, means to move said second pair of shutters independently of the first-named pair and comprising an arm oscillatable about EMIL 'KLAHN lli) 

